Liquid treating apparatus



P 7-- P. F. SHARP ET AL LIQUIDYTREATING APPARATUS- Original Filed April9, 1942 HIGH m-zssuma STEAM 'DISCHARGE OF 43 WATER VAPORS AND AIR EDwA/Qo' 5. GUTHR/E ATTORN EYS Patented Sept. 30, 1947 burrs TES PATENTOFFICE LIQUID TREATING APPARATUS Original application April 9, 1942,Serial No. 438,216. Divided and this application April 21, 1942, SerialNo. 439,836

8 Claims.

1 This application is a division of copending application Serial No.438,216, filed April 9, 1942, and relates to liquid treating apparatusincluding a chamber such as that employed to vary the gas content of aliquid, separate the air from a liquid, or extract the more volatileparts of a liquid from those less volatile. Such a chamber for instance,may be of the type employed to deaerate liquid foods such as milk, fruitjuices, tomato juice and the like for the purpose of preserving certaindesirable qualities therein. It may be used also for maintaining aconstant level of any liquid in a chamber into which the liquid is beingdelivered and from which it is being withdrawn at a constant rate, andthe gas content of the liquid being delivered to the chamber may bevaried by spraying the liquid and by delivering gas to the chamber underpressure or by Withdrawing it under partial vacuum.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedmeans for controlling the rate of flow of liquid into. a chamber of thegeneral type referred to.

Another object is to provide a new and improved valve and valveoperating mechanism which is actuated to maintain a substantiallyconstant amount of liquid in a chamber into which the liquid is sprayed,and which is not subject to erratic fluctuations due to the formation orcollection of foam on the top surface of said liquid.

Another object is to provide a comparatively simple float valve whichcan 'be easily and expeditiously disassembled to render its parts easilyaccessible for cleaning in accordance with the strictest sanitaryrequirements of the liquid food industry.

Various other objects, features and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the fol- IOWil'lg description, and from an inspection ofthe accompanying drawings showing one form of apparatus embodying theinvention, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation somewhat schematic andpartly in section of a part of a system for processing a liquid, andincluding a deaerator having a float controlled valve embodying thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a, vertical section of the float valve employed to control theflow of liquid into the deaerator; and. i

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2, but on a slightly largerscale.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, there is shown as an example achamber H! of the type which can be used to remove air from liquid foodand especially milk, so that the loss of vitamin C and the developmentof oxidized flavor in the milk are prevented or retarded. The chamber Itis maintained under vacuum high enough to flash boil some of the waterof the milk at the temperature at which this milk is introduced intosaid chamber. This flash boiling operation sweeps or washes out the airfrom the milk, so that the milk A collected at the bottom of the chamberIt is substantially free of oxygen gas.

The necessary degree of vacuum in the deaerator chamber I0 may beproduced by any suitable means. For that purpose, the upper end of thechamber is shown as having a connection I E for the exhaust of gases andvapors and leading to a suitable evacuator [2 for maintaining a reducedpressure in the chamber and which is shown as an example of the steamjet type. Any other type of vacuum creating means may be employed. Thewater Vapors drawn out through this evacuator connection ll carry orsweep out the air released from the milk by the flash boiling described,and leave the milk in the bottom of the chamber sufficiently deaeratedto effectively preserve the desirable qualities of the milk.

The milk is introduced into the top of the deaerator chamber l0 throughan intake pipe i3,

and is formed with a series of circumferentially arranged holes It sothat the milk is sprayed from said pipe laterally in all directionstoward or against the sides of the deaerator chamber H3, runs down alongthe sides of said chamber and is collected at the bottom. Due to thefinely divided state of the milk in the spray and the thin film of milkon the walls of the deaerator chamber it], there is secured veryefficient and rapid flash boiling resulting in rapid and completeremoval of the air from the milk.

The deaerated milk A is drawn 01f from the deaerator chamber Ill'througha suitable check valve ll by means of a constant speed pump I8 whichdelivers the milk for further processing as for instance through aseries of pasteurizing, cooling or other units and to a bottling stationor other packaging or storage point.

The spray holes it are desirably helically arranged on the intake pipe13 and are flared outwardly to increase the spray action and to renderthese holes visible and readily accessible for cleaning and brushing,and may be about inch in diameter at their narrowest inner ends. Theflow through these holes 16 is controlled by means of a sleeve 20slidable over the intake pipe I3, and serving as a throttling device toblock off or expose these holes successively in the helically arrangedrow according to the vertical position of said sleeve. It is desirableto effect control over only a comparatively few spray holes l6, whileleaving the bulk of the spray holes always open during normal deaeratingoperations. For that purpose, the holes I6 are desirably arranged sothat more of them are provided per unit of length in the upperperforated section of the intake pipe l3 than in its controlled lowersection. In the specific form shown, the upper perforated section of theintake pipe I3 is provided with a double helical row of spray holes I6,while the lower controlled section has a single row.

The bottom of the intake spray pipe I3 is closed in a manner to permitit to be easily cleared for cleaning purposes. Forthat purpose, a plug22 is dropped onto an annular seat 23 secured by welding in the insideof the pipe l3, and is retained on said seat merely by the action ofgravity. The fluid pressure in the spray pipe i3 acting downwardly onthe plug 22 will cause said plug to be retained in seated positionduring operations.

The sleeve 20 telescoped over the spray intake pipe i3 is desirablychamfered or bevelled at its upper end to form a comparatively sharp rimedge by which the holes it may be successively blocked and the flowtherethrough throttled as the level of the milk A in the deaeratorchamber it rises. This sleeve 26 has a slight clearance with respect tothe spray pipe 13 to afford a free slide fit with said pipe. Thisclearance depends on the accuracy with which the parts are made and theextent of their resistance to denting during cleaning and handling. Inactual practice, a clearance equivalent to a difference of of aninch'between the internal diameter of the sleeve 20 and externaldiameter of the spray pipe l3 has been found sufficient.

The vertical position of the sleeve 28 is controlled from the level ofthe milk A by a float or bob 25 supporting said sleeve through aconnecting rod 26. Proper control of this milk level is important. Ifthis level is too low, air bubbles or foam might pass out with the milkremoved from the deaerator chamber ill, and if it is too high, thetendency towards churning is increased.

Another problem in connection with a float controlled valve in thedeaerator is the erratic fluctuating effect on the float. of changes indensity of the layer of liquid at the surface, due to foaming. Thiserratic fluctuation of the float will cause the liquid to be introducedinto the deaerator in intermittent spurts.

By providing a vertically disposed float 25 of small diameter andconsiderable length, a considerable portion of this float will beimmersed in the liquid, so that the fluctuating influence of the foam atthe surface tending to cause erratic movements of the float will bereduced materially, and the float will be substantially stabilized topermit a uniform steady flow of liquid into the deaerator chamber ID. Afloat of about 49 inches long and about 1 inches in diameter, and havinga buoyancy which will cause over three-quarters of its length to beimmersed has been found satisfactory for the purpose.

The lower end of the deaerator chamber i8 is formed with a deepdepending cylindrical extension or well 2'! of reduced width serving notonly to accommodate the lower immersed section of the elongated float25, but also serving by its re duced width as a guide to limit lateralswaying of said float. The depending extension or well 21 has thefurther important advantage that it insures ample time for all airbubbles and foam to escape from the body of liquid before the liquid isdrawn off from the bottom of the deaerator.

The float 25 is desirably made of a thin gauge stainless steel tube,having its lower end hermetically sealed by a head 36 welded thereto,and having its upper end closed by a plug 3i hermetically welded to saidtube and formed with a collar 32 snugly embracing the lower section ofthe connecting rod 26. This rod 26 may be attached to this collar 32 bysoldering, and the extent to which it projects into the interior of thefloat tube may be varied to give the desired weight to the float and thedesired distance between the float and the control sleeve 20.

The upper end of the rod 26 is secured to the sleeve 20 by a sanitaryconnection which permits easy separation of its parts for cleaning andbrushing. For that purpose, the lower end of the sleet/e29 is formedwith two slots 34 on diametrically opposite sides thereof, and the upperend of the rod 26 is formed with a cylindrical head 35 which fits snuglyinto the lower end of said sleeve 23, and which is formed with anannular groove 36 in registry with said slots 34. This rod head 35 isdetachably retained in position in the sleeve 20 by a spring clip 38(see Fig. 3) extending into the slots 34 and the groove 36. This springclip 38 is U-shaped, and is formed with two pairs of spaced opposedinward projections 39 and 49. The distance between the inner faces ofthe two arms of the clip between the two pairs of projections 39 and 40is substantially equal to the diameter of the groove 36 so that theseclip arms prevent axial displacement of the sleeve 20 with respect tothe rod 26. The two pairs of projections 39 and 40 serve as stop meansto yieldably resist the removal of the spring clip 38, the endprojections 39 being rounded to cam the clip arms apart as the clip 33is forced into or out of fastening position. The bent section of thespring clip 38 projects beyond the sleeve 20, and forms a finger loop 4|by which said clip may be inserted or removed.

Just above the head 35, the sleeve 20 has a series of holes 42 whichpermit escape therethrough of any liquid that might leak past the plug22, or flow down in the clearance space between the tube l3 and thesleeve 20. Thus no liquid can accumulate in the sleeve and in effect addto the weight of the movable parts.

The float control construction described has many desirable featureswhich make it highly suitable for the purpose. It is simple andinexpensive to manufacture; it is operated by gravity, thereby making itmore reliable than if it were operated by electricity, air pressure orother devices which are apt to fail in an emergency; it does not involvethe cutting of a hole in the deaerator shell as in the case of othertypes of control, thereby eliminating a source of leakage and reducingthe cost of manufacture; the float is not subject to the downwardpressure of the liquid entering the intake spray pipe l3, since thefluid pressure from said pipe acting on the sleeve 28 is all horizontaland in an outward direction; the sleeve 20 is centered with respect tothe intake spray pipe 13 by the horizontal outward pressure in alldirections acting on said sleeve, thereby preventing binding of saidsleeve and unequal slide wear of said pipe and said sleeve; it floatsfreely in the liquid; it is self-lubricated by the liquid; it acts tothrottle the flow and does not act as an on and off valve, therebypermitting fine continuous adjustment of the flow of the liquid; due tothe deep immersion of the float it avoids almost completely the efiectof the rapid fluctuations in density and displacement at the surface ofthe liquid to which a round or flat shallow float would be subjected;and it can be easily taken apart for cleaning, since all the parts maybe readily exposed for inspection and cleaning, and are free fromthreads.

Near the lower section of the deaerator chamber I0 is a window 43(Fig. 1) for observation of the milk level. At its upper end, thedeaerator chamber [0 is provided with a detachable cover 44 seated onthe upper edge of the deaerator shell, and sealed by a gasket or in anyother conventional manner to prevent any leakage of air.

In order to prevent passage of the fine particles of liquid out with theair through the connection II and to the evacuator 12, there is provideda horizontal bafile 45 located in the deaerator chamber [0 above thespray apertured section of the intake pipe [3 and below the connection Hto the evacuator. This baffle 45 is seated on lugs or flanges 56extending inwardly from the deaerator shell, so that said battle can beeasily removed for cleaning, and is in the form of a disc slightlydished to prevent the collection of liquid thereon. A central opening inthe bafiie 45 receives the intake spray pipe is and forms a drain forsaid baffle 45. A supplemental baffle 41 around the intake spray pipe 13is seated on the b-afile 45 over its central opening, and forms ahousing with an open bottom, and an open side 48 directed away from theoutlet ll leading to the evacuator [2.

As many changes can be made in the above device, and many apparentlyWidely different embodiments of this invention can be mad withoutdeparting from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for removing gaseous or readily vaporizable materialsfrom a liquid, comprising a degasifying chamber adapted to collect abody of liquid in the lower part thereof, and having a liquid supplypipe projecting into the upper part thereof, said pipe having aplurality of spray holes distributed along the length thereof and aroundthe circumference thereof for spraying liquid radially outwardly in afinely divided state into said chamber above the surface of such body ofliquid, a sleeve encircling and slidable along said pipe, 2. float insaid chamber connected for operating said sleeve to close off a greateror lesser number of said holes in accordance with the level of theliquid in the chamber, means for withdrawal of liquid from the lowerpart of the chamber at a substantial distance below the surface of saidbody of liquid therein, and means for maintaining a reduced pressure insaid chamber and exhausting gases and vapors from the chamber at asubstantial distance above the surface of the body of liquid therein.

2. In an apparatus for degasifying liquids, a degasifying chamberadapted to contain a body of liquid in the lower part thereof, andhaving a liquid supply pipe vertically disposed in the upper part of thechamber, said pipe being closed at its lower end and having a pluralityof relatively small spray holes distributed along the length thereof andaround the circumference thereof for spraying liquid outwardly in asubstantially horizontal direction in said chamber and above the surfaceof'a body Of liquid therein, a sleeve vertically slidable on said pipeto cover a greater or lesser number of said holes, a float in thechamber in axial alignment with said pipe and connected to said sleeve,means for maintaining a, vacuum in said chamber and withdrawing gasesfrom the upper part of the chamber, and means for withdrawing degasifiedliquid from the lower portion of said chamber at a substantial distancebelow the surface of a body of liquid therein.

3. An apparatus for treating a liquid to vary its gaseous or readilyvaporizable constituents, comprising a treating chamber having avertically disposed liquid supply pipe projecting into the upper partthereof, said pipe having a plurality of outlets distributed along thelength thereof and through which the liquid may be sprayed into saidchamber, and also having an upwardly facing seat at its lower end, avalve plug resting on said seat to close said lower end and removablethrough the upper end of the pipe for cleaning, and a sleeve encirclingand slidable along said pipe to control said outlets, and a float insaid chamber and connected to the lower end of said sleeve.

4. An apparatus for treating liquid to vary its gaseous or readilyvaporizable constituents, comprising a treating chamber having a well atthe lower end thereof, which well is of small crosssectional areacompared to that of said chamber, said chamber being adapted to containa body of liquid to fill the well and the lower portion of said chamber,a vertically disposed liquid supply pipe extending into the upperportion of said chamber in alignment with said well and provided withspray openings distributed circumferentially and longitudinally of saidpipe for spraying liquid outwardly into said chamber above the liquidlevel in the latter, a sleeve encirclin and slidable along said pipe tocover a greater or lesser number of said openings, and a verticallydisposed float of comparatively small diameter connected to said sleevein alignment with said pipe and having it lower portion extending intosaid well and held by the latter against lateral movement out ofsubstantial alignment with said supply pipe and the sleeve slidablethereon.

5. An apparatus for treating liquid to vary its gaseous or readilyvaporizable constituents, comprising a treating chamber having a well ofsmall diameter at the lower end thereof, which well has a depth muchgreater than its diameter, said chamber being adapted to contain a bodyof liquid to fill the Well and the lower part of said chamber, a liquidsupply pipe extending into the upper part of said chamber and having aplurality of relatively small holes for spraying liquid outwardly abovethe liquid level in said chamber, valve means for controlling the inflowof liquid through said holes, means for continuously withdrawing liquidfrom the lower end of said Well, and a float in said chamber connectedto said valve means and extending into said liquid level in said chambersubstantially constant, the cross-sectional area of said float beingonly slightly smaller than the cross-sectional area of the well, wherebyfoaming of said liquid at said level has negligible effect upon theaction of said float and said well presents substantial lateral movementof said float.

6. An apparatus for degasifying liquids, comprising a degasifyingchamber, means for maintaining a reduced pressure therein, and With-Well for maintaining the drawing gases therefrom, a wertically extendingiiquid supplypipe in the upperpartbf said. cham- ;ber, which pipe :isclosed at its ;lower zendaandhas :a plmzality aofspray openingsdistributedzlengthwise and circumierentially thereof "for deliveringliquid :outwardly into :said chamber above the :liquid level in thelatter, a sleeve slidable over said :pipe :ior closing :ofi *a variablenumber of said openings, a relatively :long and marrow float extendingvertically in said chamber and ;connected for operating said :sleeve inaccordance with the level of liquid in said chamber so as to maintainsaid level substantially :constant, -:the :cross-sectional area ofz-sa'ld float at the surface level of the liquid iin-saidchamber being;on1y1a :small .fraction of the :cross -sectional areaaof said chamber.at .isaidliquid surface level, and-means providing .for the withdrawalof degasifiedliquid ifromthe'bottomzof saidichamber. V

'7. inzadeaera'ting.apparatusifor anutritiveiliq- :uid, -'a ;fioat valveafor ;cjtmtrolling flow zto said :apparatus, comprising a liquidzintakepipe-having ;a;series o'f spray ahnles, :a sleeve -.valve telescopedover said :pipe for controlling flow through said .lm'les, a slender.fioat, 31 rod, :means iconnecting zone ielId of saidrod :to one end .ofasaidzfloat, .and .a detachable connection between theaother .end ofsaid rod and :onerend'tofssaid sleeve, and comprising a .head :on :saidother :rod 'end having ya :snug :slidefitinto said :sleeve -:end, saidsleeve end and said-headhaving registeringrslotsrand a U-shaped spring:clip embracing said :head and extending .intosaid registering;sl0ts.

58.:An apparatus for degasifying liquids, comprising :a :degasifyingchamber :having :an .elonseated iwell rdepending from :the bottomthereof, the crossesectional :area of which well is small relativeitothat 10f said chamber, azliquid supply pipe disposed .in the upper :partof said chamber :-a;nd lhavlng a plurality -:of srelatively small sprayopenings distributed alonggyortionof ithejength of ithe .pipe forspraying liquid into said chamber above the liquid level in the latter,=means -=providing for the withdrawal of :liquid: from :the b atterm :ofsaid well, a 'closure element associated Jiguid to said chamber inaccordance with the .liquid level in the chamber, the 'upper ,part 'Dfrsaid float being --dis posed.insaid chamber :and the lower part :ofsaid :float extending :a substantial distance down into said 'well, andmeans including said float and closure -,element operative to maintain:a substantially constant zlevel :of liquid in said \chamber at ;asubstantial adistance qabove the-top cfsaid well.

RAUL F. :SHARP. DAV-ID :B. EDWARD :S. :GUT'HRIE.

REFERENCES CIT-ED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED SEATES PATENTS Number Name "Date 1,535,721 Gill Apr. 28, 19251,598,787 Shields et a1 -JSeptfl'l, 19-26 1,749,561 Cadman Mar. l, 193012522982 Strandt n --Jan. 3, 11925 1,9433536 Muller Jan, 16,1934 1,1631734 Binns "Dec. '14, 1 915 "523,773 "Harris 'Jan. 20, 1925 801,178Sim Apr. "14, 1-931 15243258 Carpenter -'Oct. -16, "1917 1,4161215Kirkup May 16,1922 13303903 Dryer 0612.4, 1-932 1,395,981 Gamble Nov. 1,1921 1589224 Rabe 'June 15, 1926 1;1475'44'5 *YI-hurber Mar. -6, 192343,951 Miller Aug-23,1364 1,920,062 Casani July 25, I933 -1g041273Hammond Gct. 15,1912

TFOEEIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 297,964 Great Britain 0ct.*4, 1938

